UP polls: BJP forms alliance with Bharatiya Samaj Party

New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- Days before the first phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday formed an alliance with Bharatiya Samaj Party (BSP) under Om Prakash Rajbhar. The party has also reiterated its alliance with regional party Apna Dal for the state polls.
Bharatiya Samaj Party, which had lost all the 52 seats it had contested in the 2012 assembly polls, managed to get 5% vote share in the state. Apna Dal has been part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) since 2014 general elections.
"The alliance talks have been completed and some of the 403 seats will be shared between BJP, Apna Dal and Bharatiya Samaj Party (BSP). BJP has already announced names for 370 seats in Uttar Pradesh," said a senior BJP leader.
Similarly, the leader of Rashtriya Mahan Gantantra Party (RMGP), Kanhaiya Lal Nishad will contest on BJP ticket from Atrauliya constituency of Uttar Pradesh. The strategy of the BJP to join hands with smaller regional parties is similar to what the party had done in 2014 when it had formed alliance with regional parties to perform well in Uttar Pradesh. BJP had won 71 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 general elections while its alliance partner Apna Dal managed to win 2 seats, taking the total seats for NDA to 73 out of 80.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders announced 67 candidates for UP and have given ticket to Swami Prasad Maurya who crossed over to BJP from Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Maurya had joined BJP in August last year and had accused BSP chief Mayawati of financial impropriety. In the third list of candidates released by the BJP, election ticket has also been given to Surya Pratap Shahi, the former BJP state president of Uttar Pradesh.